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Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search For New Paradigm

Search for an Alternative Paradigm to address the Multi-dimensional Global Crisis

International workshop organized by the World Academy of Art and Science and the Library of Alexandria

Alexandria, Egypt -- June 5 & 6, 2013

Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search For New Paradigm, Alexandria, June 2013

Concept of the Conference

The Issue

The world faces an unprecedented dilemma. Expanding opportunities are emerging side by side with intensifying problems. The proliferation of money, technology, education and global interdependence which have been the main drivers of global development is accompanied by rising levels of financial instability, pollution, unemployment, inequality, arms proliferation and social unrest. Humanity seems driven by mutually exclusive, contradictory goals leading to apparently insoluble problems. Piecemeal sectoral solutions are transparently inadequate.

The Question

Today, the world faces multiple crises of unprecedented scale and seriousness. These crises share common attributes. They all transcend narrow disciplinary boundaries, thus defying solution by partial, sectoral approaches. They are all global in nature and cannot be fully addressed without coordinated actions by the international community. Approaches to resolving the challenges are subject to conflicting claims, priorities and interests. The lack of significant progress on addressing these issues in recent years has raised doubts about the collective capacity of the human community to effectively address them. There is presently no consensus as to whether real, effective solutions are possible and what those solutions should be. Is there any way in which apparently mutually contradictory goals of prosperity, security, sustainability and social justice can all be realized?

Trieste Meeting

Following up on recent articles on this topic in Cadmus Journal, an exploratory discussion was held on March 7 at Castle Duino near Trieste. Among many valuable insights, discussants identified as serious impediments the limitations imposed by the present social construction of knowledge, i.e. the way we perceive and frame the issues, and the tendency to examine complex interconnected issues as if they can be understood in isolation. Stress was placed on the need for new thinking and integrated, value-based theory in the social sciences. The obstacles posed by the current system of international institutions founded on the principle of national sovereignty, the absence of institutional mechanisms for humanity to exercise legitimate rights, and the gap between the rapid pace of technological change and the slower rate of cultural evolution were also emphasized. The increasing speed and reach of global communications, the shift in emphasis to Human Capital intensive development strategies, and the growing prominence of social networks were cited among a list of game-changing emerging trends.

Alexandria Event

As the next step in this process, the Library of Alexandria and the World Academy collaborated with a small group of like-minded organizations and individuals to identify the core elements of an integrated perspective, comprehensive strategy and detailed policy framework capable of addressing the multiple challenges through a more fundamental paradigm change.

The Alexandria workshop will address the following broad issues:

Common root causes of the multiple global crises

Ideas, principles and values on which comprehensive solutions need to be based

Strategies, policies, proposals, legal and institutional mechanisms

Actionable steps

Search for an Alternative Paradigm to address the Multi-dimensional Global Crisis

International workshop organized by the World Academy of Art and Science and the Library of Alexandria

Alexandria, Egypt -- June 5 & 6, 2013

June 5, 2013

11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Session 1: Introduction

Issue: Is there any way in which humanity can realize the apparently conflicting goals of prosperity, security, sustainability and social justice?

Topics:

Characteristics of major global challenges and opportunities, stressing their interdependence and global linkages.

Historical perspective reflecting the progress made so far and the need to move beyond the present short-term, sectoral, nation-centric approach

Goals and issues that need to be answered by a new paradigm for global development.

Speakers:

Ismail Seregeldin, President, Library of Alexandria

Garry Jacobs, Chairman of the Board & CEO, WAAS

Brief introductory remarks by the participants

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm

Lunch

2:15 pm – 3:45 pm

Session 2: Economy & Employment

Issues: How can global food security, full employment and abolition of poverty be achieved within a decade? How can the necessary financial resources be generated and mobilized to achieve the goals of global development?

Topics:

Major challenges for achieving global prosperity

Strategies for global full employment

Need for new economic theory

International financial system – criteria for an equitable global financial system

Strategies to meet the global food challenge

Social welfare in a counter-aging society

Moderator: Garry Jacobs

Report on Geneva conference

3:45 pm – 4:15 pm

Coffee Break

4:15 pm - 6:00 pm

Session 3: Energy & Ecology

Issue: How can global living standards be raised to middle class levels without depleting or destroying the environment or depriving future generations of the capacity to sustain these achievements?

Report on Geneva conference – Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, Member, WAAS Board of Trustees and former Rector, UN University

11:15 am – 1:00pm

Session 5: Governance & International Security

Issues: How can we evolve a global cooperative security system that permanently eliminates war and the threats posed by WMD? How can we design and implement system of global governance capable of implementing necessary measures to achieve the other five goals for the welfare and well-being of all?

Issue: On what essential ideas, principles, values, strategies, policies, and institutional mechanisms should the new global paradigm be founded?

Topics:

Values & Principles for a new paradigm

Institutional Mechanism

Next steps

Moderators: Ismail Seregeldin & Garry Jacobs

Speakers:

Saad El Din Ibrahim, Professor of Sociology at the American University in Cairo and a prominent human rights activist in Egypt

Jakob von Uexkull

3:45 pm – 5:30 pm

Closing session followed by a Coffee Break

Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search For New Paradigm, Alexandria, June 2013

Conference Participants

WAAS FELLOWS:

Agni Vlavianos-Arvanitis

Agni Vlavianos-Arvanitis is a Visiting Professor of Bioethics at Panteion University, Athens, Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science, Honorary Professor of St. Petersburg State Technological University for Plant Polymers, Active Member of the The Club of Rome, Founder and President of the Hellenic Chapter of the Club of Rome, Founding Member of the Middle East Division of Learning Without Borders, Member of the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO, the Balkan Political Club, the Brussels-EU Chapter of the Club of Rome, the International Bioethics Society etc. She is also Commissioner on The Global Commission to Fund the United Nations, Founding Member of the Balkan Academy of Sciences, New Culture and Sustainable Development and Co-Founder of the International Science Foundation, Scholarship Trustee for the Hellenic Canadian Association. She has also served as Vice-President of the International Bioethics Society, Honorary President of the Association Members and Coordinator for the Mediterranean Region of the "Life in Space" project, and Vice President of the UNESCO-MAB Hellenic National Committee. She is a graduate of Columbia University's Barnard College (B.A.), New York University (M.S.) and the University of Athens (Ph.D.)

Heitor Gurgulino de Souza

Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, currently President of the Brazilian Chapter of the Club of Rome and a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Academy of Art and Science, recently retired as Vice President of the Club. Prof. Gurgulino de Souza was appointed to the Council of the United Nations University (UNU) in 1986 and was selected by the UN Secretary General as UNU’s Rector the following year. He served in Japan (1987-1991 and 1992-1997) in the truly global and interdisciplinary University, was a Special Advisor to the Director General of UNESCO (1988-1989) and Vice-Rector of UNILEGIS, of Brazil’s Federal Senate. He worked for 16 years as Rector of the Federal University of São Carlos, S. Paulo, and as Director of the Department of University Affairs in the Ministry of Education, Director of the National Research Council (CNPq) and, by Presidential appointment, was a Member of the Federal Council of Education, both in Brasilia. Earlier he was Professor Emeritus of Physics at the State University of São Paulo, Brazil, and conducted research work in the Department of Physics at the Universities of Kansas (USA) and S. Paulo, and worked in the Department of Scientific Affairs at the Organization of American States in Washington, DC (USA) and helped set-up its large Regional Programs of Science and Technology.

Gerald Gutenschwager

Gerald Gutenschwager, Professor Emeritus, School of Architecture, Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA; Scientific Fellow, Department of Regional Planning and Development, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece. Formal education and experience have focused on research, education and administration in relation to planning, international development, urbanization, and health. These concerns have prompted investigations and experiments in social theory,planning theory, educational gaming and simulation, social change, time budgets, the political economy of health and the philosophy of social science.Additional research has focused on modernism and postmodernism as expressed in social theory, urbanism and architecture. Practical work experience has ranged from a city planning department in the U.S. (Chicago) to an extensive tenure with public and private agencies and offices overseas in Athens, Greece.Teaching experience has ranged from junior high to graduate school and with students from all of the continents over a sixty year period since the 1950s. Publications include numerous articles, reviews and presentations, as well as two books: The Political Economy of Health in Modern Greece (1989), Athens, Greece: The National Center of Social Research (in Greek), and Planning and Social Science; a Humanistic Approach (2004). Lanham, MD: University Press of America, also published in Greek by The University of Thessaly Publications, Volos, Greece.

Robert Horn

Robert Horn is a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. Robert Horn, who was originally trained as a political scientist, has a special interest in public policy strategy, organisational learning, and knowledge management, and art. He founded and was, for 20 years, CEO of an international consulting company, Information Mapping, Inc.

Today, he concentrates on “Social Messes” (aka “Wicked Problems”). He pioneered dealing with such messes through interactive visual analyses with task group workshops using large, visual “Info-Murals” on such issues as global climate-change, energy security, nuclear-waste-disposal, NASA’s research, and mega-flu pandemic.

Horn is a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Human Science and Technology Advanced Research Institute (H-STAR), and has taught at Harvard and Columbia and consulted for clients such as Boeing, Dupont, AT&T, HP and other Global 1,000 companies as well as the British Foreign Office and the UK nuclear waste disposal agency. He is a member of Global Business Network and a fellow of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences and the International Futures Forum. He has received lifetime achievement awards from two international research organizations.

He is also the initial explorer of the semantics of putting words and visual images together in his book, Visual Language: Global Communications for the 21st Century.

Garry Jacobs

Garry Jacobs is Chairman of the Board of Trustees, World Academy of Art & Science; Managing Editor of Cadmus Journal; and Vice-President, The Mother’s Service Society, a social science research institute based in India. Earlier, Mr. Jacobs served as Executive Director and Member Secretary of the International Commission on Peace & Food. He is a researcher, author and consultant on the process of economic and social development as well as a management consultant to firms in a wide range of industries in the USA, Europe and India on strategies to elevate corporate values, accelerate growth, and improve profitability. He is co-author of several books and more than 100 articles on the process of corporate growth, economic and social development, psychology, peace, security and international affairs. Mr. Jacobs was elected to the Academy in 1995 and has also served as the chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee and chairman of the Committee on Peace & Development.

Alexander Likhotal

Alexander Likhotal is the President of Green Cross International. He holds doctorates in Political Science from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations (1975) and in History from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, USSR Academy of Sciences (1987). In addition to an academic career as a Professor of Political Science and International Relations, he served as a European Security analyst for the Soviet Union leadership. In 1991, he was appointed Deputy Spokesman and Advisor to the President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev. After Mr. Gorbachev’s resignation, Professor Likhotal served as his advisor and spokesman and worked at the Gorbachev Foundation as the International and Media Director. Having joined Green Cross International in 1996, he is actively involved in furthering sustainable development agenda.

Winston Nagan

Winston Nagan is the Sam T. Dell Research Scholar Professor of Law, University of Florida, Levin College of Law, Gainesville, Florida, Founding Director, Institute for Human Rights, Peace and Development and Fellow, Royal Society of the Arts. Prof. Nagan is a member of the Board of Trustees of the World Academy of Art and Science and the Editor-in-Chief of Eruditio Journal, an e-journal published by the Academy. A member of the Editorial Board of Cadmus Journal, Winston Nagan is also the International Editorial Advisor for the Journal of Law and Politics. He served as Chairman of Amnesty International USA (1989-91) and as a member of the Board (1986-92). He also served as President of Policy Sciences Center, Yale Law School (1986-1991) and on numerous groups of international experts on issues related to human rights, biodiversity, indigenous rights, and traditional knowledge. Winston Nagan is an alumnus of the University of South Africa, where he did his B.A (Law), Brasenose college, Oxford, where he got an M.A (Juris), Duke School of Law where he did LL.M. and later Yale School of Law, where he obtained his Doctorate degree in law.

Ruben Nelson

Ruben F. W. Nelson is Executive Director of Foresight Canada – a Canadian not-for-profit dedicated to nurturing the practice of the next generation of strategic foresight at a high professional level. He is Canada’s most experienced teacher and practitioner of strategic foresight and futures research. In 1960, he Co-Chaired what may have been the first formal futures conference in Canada. In 1976, he was one of the founders of the Canadian Association of Futures Studies, and subsequently its third President. He has served as Treasurer and a member of the Executive Board of the World Futures Studies Federation. His primary research interest is in the long evolution of human consciousness, cultures and civilizations. He is particularly interested in the emergence, flowering, decline and transformation of the modern/Industrial form of civilization and the possibility of the emergence of a truly post- modern/Industrial form of civilization. His formal training is in philosophy, political theory and theology.

Ljudmila Popovic

Mila Popovich is a young scholar associated with the University of Colorado at Boulder, whose doctoral work focuses on the issues of woman’s migrations and subjectivity within globalization processes. She is a Junior Fellow at the World Academy of Art and Science, where she serves on board of the Membership Communications Committee. She is an Associate Expert on Gender Issues and Humanities within the Seventh Research Framework Programme at the European Commission. Additionally, Popovich is an Associate Editor for the “International Journal of the Humanities,” and a member of the Editorial Board of the “Journal of Women’s Entrepreneurship and Education,” of the Institute of Economic Sciences, Belgrade. Equally invested in the critical work as well as creative, she has published on a range of interdisciplinary topics such as international cinema, nationalism and women’s issues, new economic paradigm and global crisis. On the creative side, she has been publishing poetry both in her native Montenegro and in the U.S., as well as performing as an international dance artist. As an activist, Popovich is engaged in the environmental and women’s issues in her resident community of Denver, Colorado.

Mutaz Qafisheh

Mutaz M. Qafishehis a Professor of International Law and Legal Clinic Director, Hebron University, Palestine. He holds a PhD in International Law, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva. He is a practising international lawyer, advising a number of international organizations, including the UN and the PLO. He has formerly worked as Human Rights Officer, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Beirut and Ramallah; Regional Director, Penal Reform International, Middle East and North Africa, Amman; Director, Security Sector Reform, Birzeit University; Director, Legal Education, Palestinian Law Schools, Jerusalem; Legal Advisor, Palestinian Parliament; Co-Founder, Human Rights Program, Al-Quds-Bard Honors College, Jerusalem and New York. His twenty-five studies include: Palestine Membership in the United Nations: Legal and Practical Implications (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars, 2013); The International Law Foundations of Palestinian Nationality (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2008); ‘Article 1D: Definition of the Term ‘Refugee,’’ in A. Zimmermann, ed., The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol: A Commentary (Oxford 2011); ‘The Dilemma of Legislative Reform in Line with International Standards on Gender Equality in the Islamic World: The Case of Palestine’, International Journal for Legislative Drafting and Law Reform (London 2013); ‘The Ability of the Palestinian Legal System to Secure Adequate Standards of Living: Reform or Failed State Duty,’ Asian Journal of International Law (Cambridge 2013).

Ismail Serageldin

Ismail Serageldin is the Director of Library of Alexandria, and also chairs the Board of Directors for each of the Library’s affiliated research institutes and museums. He serves as Chair and Member of a number of advisory committees for academic, research, scientific and international institutions and civil society efforts which includes the Institut d'Egypte (Egyptian Academy of Science), US National Academy of Sciences (Public Welfare Medalist), the American Philosophical Society, TWAS (Academy of Sciences for the Developing World), the Indian National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He is former Chairman, Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR, 1994-2000), Founder and former Chairman, the Global Water Partnership (GWP, 1996-2000) and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP), a microfinance program (1995-2000) and was Professor of the International Chair Savoirs contre pauvreté (Knowledge Against Poverty), at Collège de France, Paris, and Distinguished Professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Dr.Serageldin has also served in a number of capacities at the World Bank, including as Vice President for Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (1992-1998), and for Special Programs (1998-2000). He has published over 60 books and monographs and over 200 papers on a variety of topics including biotechnology, rural development, sustainability, and the value of science to society.

Jakob von Uexkull

Jakob von Uexkull is a Fellow, World Academy of Art & Science; Chair, World Future Council. He is the founder (1980) of the Right Livelihood Award, often referred to as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize'. He is a co-founder (1984) of The Other Economic Summit and a past Member of the European Parliament (1987-9) where he served on the Political Affairs Committee. He is a patron of Friends of the Earth International and a member of the Global Commission to Fund the United Nations. He served on the UNESCO Commission on Human Duties and Responsibilities (1998-2000). He has also served on the Board of Greenpeace, Germany, and on the Council of Governance of Transparency International. He lectures widely on environment, justice and peace issues. He is also a recognised philatelic expert with publications including 'The Early Postal History of Saudi Arabia' (London, 2001).

Non-Fellows:

Aly Eldean Hilal

Professor of Political Sciences, Cairo University, Ex-member of the Shoura Council. He chaired the Political Science Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture, member of the board of Directors, the National Center for Social Studies and editor in chief of the quarterly journal Al Nahda (Renaissance). He served as Egypt’s Minister of Youth (1999-2004), Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University (1993-1999) and Director of the Center of Political Studies and Research at Cairo University (1986-1993). He was a member of: the UN Special Experts Group on Disarmament and Development (1979-1980), the ACLS/SSRC committee on the comparative study of Moslem Societies (1988-1991), Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, IISS (London) for nine years (1983-1992) the UN Expert group on the Economic Aspects of Disarmament and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDER) (1991-1992). He was a visiting professor at the American University in Cairo, Calgary Univ., Univ. of California at Los Angeles, and Princeton Univ. His publications in English include: Islam and Power, Egypt and the great powers, Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World, The future of the Arab Nation, Egypt’s Economic Potential, and Foreign Policies of the Arab States.

Saad Eddin Ibrahim

Saad Eddin Ibrahim is a Professor of Sociology at the American University in Cairo and a prominent human rights activist in Egypt. Ibrahim founded the Ibn Khaldun Center for Development Studies in Cairo and the Arab Organization for Human Rights. He has been criticized for accepting international funds to promote civil society and election monitoring in Egypt, and for suggesting that the United States should condition its aid to Egypt on improvements in the country's human rights record. Ibrahim is currently working with the Arab Democracy Foundation in Doha to promote philanthropy and Arab investment in development. In this interview, Ibrahim speaks about his involvement in the promotion of human rights and civil liberties in Egypt. He also shares how Islam has impacted his work and the work of others in human rights development.

Nadine Mourad Sika

Nadine Mourad Sika is an assistant professor of political science at The American University in Cairo, Egypt. Before joining AUC, she was visiting scholar at the Political Science Institute of the University of Tübingen in Germany and assistant professor of political science at the Future University in Egypt. She is currently consultant to the UNDP; a member of the Board of Directors of Partners in Development, an independent Egyptian think tank; and a contributing author to International Democracy Watch's "First International Democracy Report" in 2011. Dr. Sika received a Ph.D. in comparative politics from the University of Cairo.

Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search For New Paradigm, Alexandria, June 2013

Opportunities and Challenges for the 21st Century: Search For New Paradigm, Alexandria, June 2013

Ideas, Principles & Values for a New Paradigm

This report presents ideas discussed at the WAAS international conference at UN in Geneva and the Library of Alexandria workshop in June 2013. They represent an initial, incomplete set of guidelines for evolving a new global paradigm to address the multiple challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. This document is intended to serve as a basis and stimulus for further discussion.

Core Concepts

Framework: The need for a new paradigm has been clearly established and much work has been done on individual components of it, but the world today is a very complex organism consisting of many interdependent subsystems which are undergoing rapid change. For this reason formulation of a comprehensive, integrated global perspective will be extremely challenging. Nevertheless, it may be possible to identify a set of fundamental ideas, principles and values that will provide a sound foundation and framework for a new paradigm.

Power of Ideas: Ideas have immense power to change the world. The new paradigm will derive its power from the ideas and values on which it is based. “No one can defeat an idea whose time has come”.

Four-dimensional Mosaic: The new paradigm can be conceived as a mosaic encompassing movement in four dimensions –

From uni-sectoral to comprehensive, integrated

Scale from local to global

From static to dynamic

Conceptual to analytical

Competition of paradigms: We need to understand how paradigms emerge, persist and decline. A new paradigm must demonstrate its capacity to address the negative consequences of the existing paradigm and provide a better alternative.

Concept of Society: Society is much more than a combination of individuals. Society encompasses the relationships between people, organizations, institutions, systems and cultural values which support human activities, interactions and cooperative endeavor. A new paradigm must encompass all dimensions of society, rather than confine itself to the sphere of economy or technology.

Individual and the Collective: A new paradigm needs to arrive at a more effective reconciliation of individual freedom with social equality, the rights of the individual and the rights of the collective.

Human Choice: Social science is the science of conscious humanity, not a science of inanimate physical nature. The principles governing society and social science are not determined by immutable and eternal laws of nature. They are created by human beings and based on human values and choices that can be altered.

Instruments of Development: Humanity has the tendency to develop marvelous instruments and then become subservient and enslaved to the tools fashioned to serve us. Human welfare and well-being must be given precedence over the compulsion of our social organizations, institutions and instruments.

Rationality: Our problems are the result of clinging to naïve assumptions, wishful thinking, invalid or outmoded concepts, entrenched interest and common superstitions, such as blind faith in technological progress or the wisdom of the unregulated marketplace. Solutions will become evident when we insist on a rational approach.

Values: Values are not merely utopian ideals. Values represent the essence of knowledge and wisdom acquired by humanity over millennia regarding the fundamental principles for human survival, growth, development and evolution. A paradigm based on universal values will be ultimately the most practical and sustainable.

Economy

Trans-disciplinary Science of Society: Economy is a subset of society and inseparable from the political, social, ecological, technological and cultural context and needs to reflect their true contribution to society and human welfare. Economic activity always occurs within a political policy framework and impacted by prevailing policy, laws and values. A broader and more trans-disciplinary understanding of economics is needed which also integrates knowledge from the natural sciences and opportunities from the engineering sciences.

Paradox of Needs and Capabilities: The world today confronts a paradox of enormous unmet human needs coupled with a vast reservoir of underutilized recourses – human, financial, organizational, technological – capable of meeting those needs. The existence of this paradox reflects fundamental deficiencies in economic theory and public policy.

Regulation: The free (unregulated) market is only a concept. All economy is political economy. Regulation is essential for freedom. Regulation must reflect the values of the new paradigm.

Efficiency: The economic concept of efficiency is confined to maximizing return on capital and other resources, irrespective of its impact on human welfare. A wider social concept of efficiency is needed to reflect the real social costs and benefits of economic activity, including its impact on peace, human welfare and well-being and the environment.

Financial Markets: Financial markets were developed as a mechanism for accumulating capital to meet the growing needs of the real economy, not as an end in themselves. Today financial markets are increasingly divorced from the real economy and need to be realigned to serve their essential social purpose. Financial transactions need to be regulated and taxed in a manner that protects and promotes the real economy.

Money: Money is not a thing. It is a social organization backed by the accumulated wealth and future productive capacities of society. Money creation should be directed to meeting human and social needs rather than supporting speculative investment. Money created for investment in human capital and other productive capabilities is an essential catalyst for social development.

Technology: Like money, technology is not an end in itself but an instrument which should only be utilized in a manner and measure that it promotes human welfare and well-being.

Tax Bias: Current fiscal policies that incentivize capital investment while taxing labor promote investment in technology at the expense of human beings and depletion of natural capital. Taxes and subsidies should promote what we want more of, not vice versa.

Sustainability: The concept of sustainability should reflect the opportunities for future generations as expressed in terms of total capital per person -- natural, man-made, human and social.

Freedom vs. License: Freedom and responsibility are inseparable. Unbridled pursuit of personal selfish gain is incompatible with extension of freedom to all. The right to development by individual pursuit has to be balanced by the right of the collective for equitable distribution of benefits.

Measurement: Quantification is a powerful and essential tool for social progress. But in practice we get what we measure, not necessarily what we really need. The quality of our measures determines the quality of results. The current system of national accounts fails to distinguish between positive and negative economic activity and fails to measure net impact on national wealth. National accounts need to reflect stock as well as flow, distinguish negative from positive contributions, and fully reflect contributions to long term viability.

Prices should reflect true costs: Economic values must reflect the real value of natural resources, the real cost of various energy sources, and the social costs of unemployment. Pricing water and other resources based on the cost of extraction rather than their replacement costs grossly distorts decision-making. Failing to take into account the real risks and insurance costs for nuclear power distorts the relative cost of alternative forms of renewable energy. Neglecting the impact of unemployment on public health, crime rates, social stability and drug use distorts assessment of the relative value of capital and labor.

Right to Employment: Employment in a market economy is the economic equivalent of the right to vote in democracy. It is the minimum condition for economic freedom and human welfare. The present system which supports that right to unbridled speculation, even when it undermines the real economy and employment, is incompatible with human welfare and social justice for all. Employment needs to be recognized as a fundamental human right.

Full employment: Full employment is an achievable goal. Ample scope exists for rectifying the implicit biases in the present system that favor capital and technology over labor and accumulation of wealth over fair distribution of income and the proceeds of production. Higher education and vocational training must be made affordable and accessible to all.

Policy counts: Better policies can enhance living standards and quality of life independent of rising levels of income. Policy should be based on sustainable development indicators.

Energy & Ecology

Anthropocene: Human beings are the most powerful geological force impacting the planet and biosphere. Consequently, we have a special responsibility to ensure that our actions are compatible with the protection and progressive enrichment of the earth’s biosphere. The science of Economics must evolve to fully reflect the costs and measure the contribution of all human activity to our natural capital base.

Decoupling Consumption vs. Well-being: Global development strategy must be compatible with the fullest attainment of both advanced and developing nations. Human welfare and well-being have to be decoupled from unbridled consumption of the earth’s finite resources, as pollution has been largely decoupled from industrial development in technologically advanced nations.

Resource Efficiency: Radical improvements in resource efficiency are available and can lead to a massive decoupling of resource consumption from economic activity.

Incentives & Subsidies: Incentives for sustainable consumption and production should be designed, e.g. by reducing or removing ecologically destructive subsidies.

Public Goods: The real impact of economic activity on public good needs to be assessed and reflected in pricing and taxation.

Energy: Energy strategy should seek to maximize energy efficiency while minimizing energy consumption in a manner compatible with economic prosperity for all. Decoupling growth and resource consumption is an essential but not a sufficient strategy.

Circular Economy: Policy and incentives should be introduced to make recycling of natural resources the norm in every sector.

Human Capital

Human Resourcefulness: Anything becomes a resource only when human beings recognize it as such. Material resources are finite, but the potential development of human capacities is unlimited. A human-centered paradigm must be directed to maximize human welfare, not growth, and to place maximum emphasis on the full development of human capacities and social opportunities – human and social capital.

Human Capital: The bias toward capital and technology should be replaced by recognition that human beings are the source of all productivity, innovation and creativity. Investment, taxes and subsidies patterns should reflect the relative importance of human capital in development.

Individuality: Society can only reach its full potential by fostering the full development of each and all of its individual members. The individual is the catalyst for social change. The new paradigm should secure the rights and promote the fullest possible development of the unique capabilities of each individual in a manner compatible with the full development of others.

Education: Education is the prime instrument of conscious social evolution. Raising levels of education is essential for promoting peace, democracy, employment, economic development and cultural symbiosis. Expenditure on education should be recognized as an investment in human capital. Quality, type and content of education need to be oriented to meet emerging needs and opportunities.

Governance & Security

Basis of law: Law derives its legitimacy from the will of the people and emerges by a social process, not merely by past precedent, legislative process or the arbitrary acts of states.

Leadership: What the world needs now is good governance systems rather than strong leaders. Global leadership needs to be replaced by the evolution of international rule of law.

Democracy: Democracy must evolve from plutocracy, competition between elites and corruption into a truly representative participatory system based on human values and promoting human security.

International law: Principles of democracy must be extended to international institutions – globalize democracy. Sovereignty and international law are the result of a global constitutional process which must be expanded to include the role of the individual as a subject and not merely an object. The notion of law cannot be divorced from the notion of justice.

Concept of Sovereignty: National sovereignty is a leaking ship. The basis for national sovereignty is inseparable from the rights of its citizens. The concept of sovereignty needs to must be broadened to take into account the rights of the human collective and its individual members. The authority foundations of the UN Charter should be expanded to clearly reflect the sovereign rights of individual human beings and humanity as a whole.

Concept of Security: The concept of security needs to encompass political, social, ecological, cultural and psychological dimensions. Ideas and policy security should evolve from maximizing national security to maximizing human security.

Cooperative Security: The prevailing security paradigm fosters competition between states in a manner that each nation’s efforts to enhance its own security are perceived as threats by other states leading to perpetual escalation. Global security must move from an exclusive competitive paradigm to an inclusive cooperative paradigm.

Nuclear Weapons: Weapons of mass destruction designed to wipe out large civilian populations, endanger future generations, and reek widespread, lasting damage to the environment are totally incompatible with the fundamental rights of humanity. The use, threat of use or possession of nuclear weapons should be declared a crime against humanity.

Global Society: The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Humanity is more than a collection of nation-states. Governance needs to evolve to reflect the will of humanity as a whole.

Global referendum: Mechanisms need to be developed to assess the will of humanity and allow it an effective role in global decision-making.

OVERVIEW

The World Academy of Art and Science is composed of 730 individual Fellows from diverse cultures, nationalities, and intellectual disciplines, chosen for eminence in art, the natural and social sciences, and the humanities. Established in 1960 by distinguished individuals concerned by the impact of the explosive growth of knowledge, its activities seek to address global issues related to the social consequences and policy implications of knowledge. The Academy serves as a forum for reflective scientists, artists, and scholars to discuss the vital problems of humankind independent of political boundaries or limits, whether spiritual or physical -- a forum where these problems can be discussed objectively, scientifically, globally, and free from vested interests or regional attachments, to arrive at solutions that affirm universal human rights and serve the interests of all humanity. WAAS is founded on faith in the power of original and creative ideas -- Real Ideas with effective power -- to change the world. Its motto is "Leadership in thought that leads to action."

The spirit of the Academy can be expressed in the words of Albert Einstein: "The creations of our mind shall be a blessing and not a curse to mankind." Its Fellows share the ambition (as the Founders said in their 1960 Manifesto) "to rediscover the language of mutual understanding," surmounting differences in tradition, language, and social structure which, unless fused by creative imagination and continuous effort, dissolve the latent human commonwealth in contention and conflict.

The aim of the Academy's founders was to function as "an informal WORLD UNIVERSITY at the highest scientific and ethical level, in which deep human understanding and the fullest sense of responsibility will meet."

MISSION

The World Academy of Art and Science is an association of committed individuals drawn from diverse cultures, nationalities, occupations and intellectual pursuits spanning the arts, humanities and sciences, conscious of the profound social consequences and policy implications of knowledge, and united by a common aspiration to address the urgent challenges and emerging opportunities confronting humanity today. Our mission is to promote cross-disciplinary dialogue generative of original ideas and integrated perspectives that comprehend the root causes and effective remedies for our common problems, while furthering those currents of thought and social movement that affirm the value of human dignity and equitable development. The Academy dedicates itself to the pursuit of creative, catalytic ideas that can provide to present and future generations enlightened leadership in thought that leads to effective action.

HISTORY

The idea of founding an international association for exploring major concerns of humanity in a nongovernmental context grew out of many conversations that took place among leading scientists and intellectuals in the years following World War II. Prominent among this group were people such as Albert Einstein and Robert Oppenheimer who had played a part in the development of the atomic bomb and were deeply concerned about how it and other scientific advances might be used – or misused.

This informal project took a major step forward in 1956, when a meeting – The First International Conference on Science and Human Welfare – was held in Washington, D. C. The organizers were two American scientists: Richard Montgomery Field of Princeton, who had worked for many years as chairman of an international committee on the social values of science; and John A. Fleming, former President of the International Council of Scientific Unions. At the end of the conference, participants agreed to take steps toward the formation of a World Academy, and elected an International Preparatory Committee for that purpose. Its members were: (from France) Pierre Chouard, George Laclavére and G. Le Lionnaise; (from the United Kingdom) Ritchie Calder, H. Munro Fox and Joseph Needham; and (from the United States) Robert Oppenheimer.

The Academy was formally founded (and its first officers elected) in 1960. They were: as President, Lord John Boyd Orr of Scotland; as Vice Presidents, Hermann Joseph Muller of the United States and Hugo Ostvald of Sweden; and, as Secretary General, Hugo Boyko of Israel.

Advisors to the Board

PARTNERS

HOW TO DONATE TO THE ACADEMY

The World Academy is incorporated in the State of California and Fellows elected from 86 different countries. WAAS is recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt private foundation under section 501(c)(3).

CADMUS JOURNAL

Cadmus is a journal for fresh thinking and new perspectives that integrate knowledge from all fields of science, art and humanities to address real-life issues, inform policy and decision-making, and enhance our collective response to the challenges and opportunities facing the world today.

ERUDITIO E-JOURNAL

Eruditio is the electronic journal of the World Academy of Art & Science. The vision of the Journal complements and enhances the World Academy's focus on global perspectives in the generation of knowledge from all fields of legitimate inquiry.

The Journal also mirrors the World Academy's specific focus and mandate which is to consider the social consequences and policy implications of knowledge in the broadest sense. It is a multidisciplinary forum focused on the social consequences and policy implications of all forms of knowledge on a global basis.

PAPERS BY CATEGORY

BOOKS

The Security & Sustainability Guide

A 250-page “Interim Draft” PDF of The S&S Guide, a project of the World Academy of Art & Science, will be available for limited distribution free of charge. It reflects the critical fact that sustainability and security are both essential and can only be achieved in concert. The Guide is incomplete, but the compilers believe that, even in its current state, many will find it useful for illuminating many of the most serious problems facing humanity under the broad, overlapping categories of “Security” (weapons proliferation, terrorism, cyber-attacks, economic and food insecurity, human rights, peacemaking, crime and corruption, inadequate infrastructure, etc.) and “Sustainability” (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, energy, agriculture, population growth, cities, oceans, forests, vulnerability to disasters, green economics and nance, etc.)

Democracy is under siege. Traditional bastions of liberal democracy are faltering. Young democracies are reverting to their authoritarian pasts. Populism, corporatization of the media, fake news, retreat from globalism, oligarchy, corruption and other perils are undermining fairness, effectiveness and truthfulness. Just when it appeared that the world was converging on a universal set of values and standards for governance at the national and international level, fundamental questions are being raised regarding the viability and sustainability of democratic institutions. Recent events raise fundamental questions regarding the institutions of governance and also about the underlying social, psychological, cultural and evolutionary processes that determine how these institutions function.

Is democracy in its current form really the most viable and effective system of governance? Are human beings sufficiently rational and selfless to govern themselves justly and effectively? Is the future of democracy at the national level compatible with the persistence of non-democratic institutions at the international level? By what process has the distribution of social power shifted from army, monarchy, aristocracy to democracy and how is that process likely to evolve further in future? To what extent are the institutional problems confronting democracy today reflections of underlying social, psychological and cultural factors and processes? What proven and potential safeguards and remedies are available to address the failures and insufficiencies of contemporary democracies? Is democracy the best possible system or merely a stage in the evolution of governance toward something more stable, an effective and equitable system?

Mind is humanity's highest developed instrument for seeking knowledge. It is the master tool that we use to comprehend the present, remember the past, and anticipate and plan for the future. From the act of striking two flints together to create fire to combining strings of 1s and 0s to design the code for supercomputers, mind has enabled humanity to create remarkable technologies and organized global institutions. The mind is the unifying foundation on which humanity’s entire social evolution is based. To understand this vital instrument better, the World Academy of Art & Science and World University Consortium have launched a ground-breaking project to explore Mind, Thinking and Creativity. A greater understanding of the nature of mind, its ways of knowing, the limits to thinking and rationality, mind's untapped potential, the workings of creativity and genius are essential for addressing the challenges confronting humanity today.

In April 2016 WAAS and WUC, along with partnering organizations IACP, IUC, DHUC, and MSS organized a four-day roundtable on Mind, Thinking and Creativity 2016 at Dubrovnik, Croatia for to explore fundamental questions. The meeting was attended by experts from different fields of natural and social science, including medicine, neuroscience, engineering, psychology, sociology, economics, law, and philosophy. Video recordings, presentations and papers for the roundtable are available here. The enthusiastic interest generated by the Dubrovnik meeting spurred efforts of WAAS and the World University Consortium to commence work on a on-line course on this subject which is now underway. A report on last year's meeting including videos and presentations was included in the Academy's July 2016 newsletter.

Roundtable 2 -- November 2017 at Dubrovnik

The second roundtable on Mind, Thinking & Creativity is being conducted by the World University Consortium, the World Academy of Art & Science, the Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and the Inter-University Centre from November 6-8, 2017 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Human-Centered Economics will be conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from Feb 1-Feb 3,2017 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The multidimensional challenges confronting humanity today are human-made and can be changed by a change in thought and action. Contemporary economic thought is built on a mind-frame that originated prior to the Industrial Revolution when scarcity of goods in a world of abundant resources was the primary concern, economic growth was considered synonymous with human welfare, and impact of humanity on the environment was completely ignored. Without challenging obvious flaws in existing theory, it will be not be possible to significantly alter current policies and practices.

The overall aim of the course is to (a) demonstrate why mainstream neo-classical economic theory is inappropriate for dealing with the global challenges of the c.21st, and (b) explore alternative approaches for achieving ecologically sustainable, human-centered development and welfare for all.

This course will present the findings of a five year research program of the World Academy of Art & Science and the on-going work of the New Economic Theory working group. It will harness the best available ideas and practices on human-centred, sustainable economy to create informative, authoritative and compelling educational and communication tools with the power to challenge and alter university level education in Economics, public policy, business decisions, media coverage and general public opinion regarding how the world economy should and can work for the betterment of all humanity.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Social Power, Empowerment & Social Evolution will be conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from Oct 31-Nov 4, 2016 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Humanity lives in a time of unprecedented capacity for accomplishment in every field of social life. Never before have we possessed power of this magnitude for good or for evil. Never before has power been so widely distributed within society. Democracy, law, human rights, science, technology, education and many other forms of social organization have generated immense power. Society governs the possession and exercise of this power through formal structures and institutions, such as law and human rights, as well as through both legitimate and extra-legal informal mechanisms including status, wealth, popularity, political influence and corruption. The distribution of power in its various forms powerfully impacts on the functioning of the economy, political system, educational, scientific, religious and and other social institutions, and on the overall productivity, strength, integrity, harmony and welfare of society. This transdisciplinary course will explore the sources, expressions, determinants and consequences of the creation, distribution and exercise of social power in its various expressions in politics, economy, society and culture and its consequences for the evolution of society as a whole.

Mind is humanity’s highest developed instrument for seeking knowledge. It is an instrument with remarkable capabilities and characteristic limitations. It is ironic that we invest so little time in education and scientific endeavor trying to understand the nature of mental knowledge and the character of the mental processes by which we arrive at it. The objective of this course is to arrive at an understanding of the inherent limits to rationality and mental ways of knowing, as well as the extraordinary creative and intuitive processes by which mind transcends those limitations and tends toward genius.

Thinking is the activity by which mind associates, organizes, coordinates and integrates information, thoughts and ideas. Creative thinking is the process by which mind extends the boundaries of existing thought and knowledge to connect, reconcile and unify previously unconnected or contradictory perspectives. This course will explore the characteristics of mental knowledge and thought processes, types of thinking, the character of rational thought, the mental and social construction of knowledge, deep thinking, creativity and genius. Rather than focus on abstract philosophical concepts, it will apply this knowledge to understand both the sources of humanity’s prolific mental creativity, the characteristic problems it confronts due to irresolvable conflicts and contradictions between mental perspectives, and their resolution in different fields of natural and social science, public policy, collective and individual behavior.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Future Education was conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from September 21-23, 2015 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Education is our best hope for a better future. Emergence of a new paradigm in education can radically abridge the time required for humanity to address critical issues related to economy, governance, ecology and life-style. Education is the best known instrument for ensuring universal human rights, promoting democracy, enhancing productivity and protecting the environment.There is urgent need to evolve a new paradigm in education appropriate to the needs of the 21st century. Closing the gap between social needs and educational capabilities is essential for addressing pressing challenges confronting humanity today. A review of education today makes evident that there is enormous scope for improving and developing the educational system. Whatever its current limitations in terms of inadequate coverage, quality and content, the means and potential exist for dramatically enhancing humanity’s individual and collective performance in virtually all spheres of our social existence by realistic, achievable improvements in education. We need a new paradigm in education capable of more fully and effectively developing the latent capacities of our youth.

A Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Essence of Effective Leadership was conducted by the World Academy of Art & Science, the World University Consortium, The Mother's Service Society, Person-Centered Approach Institute, Dag Hammarskjöld University College of International Relations and Diplomacy and Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia from March 31 to April 3, 2015 at Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

This course explored the characteristics common to leaders in business, politics, civil society, science, arts, professions and education and examined methods by which these characteristics can be consciously developed by individuals. The presentations consist of theory, practical strategies, and a wide range of examples drawn from biography, history, management, and literature from movies illustrating the principles under discussion. Apart from the presentations, our faculty interacted with participants to bring home the theoretical significance and practical relevance of the material.

The Individual is the catalyst of all social progress, the source of creativity, innovation, new ideas and new initiatives. The individual is the genetic source of human diversity. The entrepreneur, inventor, social reformer, revolutionary leader, original thinker and creative artist are a few of individuality's expressions. Yet how little we understand about the characteristics of true individuality, the ways in which it expresses, the means for developing it, and the means for realizing real individuality in one’s own life.

History demonstrates that individuals have the power to change the world. This course explored the relationship between personality and accomplishment. It examined the role of Individuality and Values in personal achievement, growth of personality and social progress drawing on evidence from Management Science, History, Psychology and Literature. It explored the relationship between creative individuals and society searching for insights into the principles and process that govern successful human initiatives and their consequences in various fields of life.

The course was intended for both students and practitioners in all fields interested in advancing theoretical understanding and practical approaches to promote the development of entrepreneurship, individuality, creativity, original thinking and other forms of social innovation. It explored the role of the individual in development of society, elucidated the characteristics of true individuals, the source of their amazing power for accomplishment and the process by which they act as catalysts of social innovation. While the presentation was academic, the objective was to impart original insights and practical knowledge for personal growth and individuation.

Today humanity is confronted by a plethora of serious challenges – political, economic, legal, social, cultural, psychological and ecological. These challenges are complex, interrelated, and global in reach. They are a reflection of the inadequacy of current institutions and policies and at a deeper level the inadequacy of current knowledge. They defy comprehension and resolution based on the prevailing principles of social science. The specialized knowledge developed by separate disciplines is inadequate to deal with the increasingly complex interdependencies of the real world. Knowledge needs to evolve to keep pace with the evolution of society.

The evolution of a complex, highly integrated global society necessitates the development of a more comprehensive and integrated science of society. The division into various specialized fields has been a useful mental strategy for the development of the social sciences, leading to significant advances in all fields – knowledge which needs to be preserved and enhanced by future developments. Yet it is increasingly evident that a more comprehensive and integrated approach is now required. As society evolves, its different functions develop greater complexity. At the same time they become more closely and complexly interlinked and interdependent on one another. Economy today is highly dependent on the political system and laws governing the distribution and enforcement of power in society, legal concepts regarding ownership of property and human rights, public institutions responsible for the creation and management of money, rules for commerce between nations, public policies influencing income and wealth distribution, processes that determine collective decision-making, public investment in education and training, and social expectations regarding economy and the future, etc. A recent announcement by the White House of an ‘intention’ to examine measures to discourage shifting of US firms to tax havens overseas resulted in a 10% fall in market value for several large firms.

Strategic Planning Committee Program Framework

Being a world academy composed of members drawn from the arts, social and physical sciences, humanities, business, public administration and civil society poses fundamental questions. How can WAAS distinguish itself from other national and regional academies? Is there really a common meeting point between art and science? Is there a unique contribution that WAAS can make to the world’s knowledge?

At the New Delhi General Assembly, Fellows explored facets of a new program framework developed by the Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) which seeks to answer these questions in the affirmative. Rather than distinguish itself by specializing on a particular set of disciplines, issues or geographic area, the framework is an attempt to formulate a comprehensive approach and integrated perspective of knowledge inclusive of all disciplinary perspectives and applicable to social problems and opporunities in all fields.

The core of the framework is a human-centered conception of what constitutes reliable knowing, a question posed to the SPC by Ruben Nelson. In his presentation to the GA, Garry Jacobs explained how this conception applies to WAAS’s projects on new economic theory, individuality and limits to rationality. Pushpa Bhargava pointed out that a human centered perspective naturally incorporates ecology, since the survival and full development of humanity depends on its capacity to evolve in harmony with the environment.

New Paradigm Program

Scope: The world confronts multiple crises, each of which resists current efforts at resolution and appears intractable. The environmental crisis of climate change occupied the center stage in the mid-2000s. Fears of nuclear weapons proliferation, which had subsided into complacency in the years following the end of the Cold War, suddenly surfaced with renewed intensity when Korea tested nuclear weapons and long range missiles and news surfaced of Iran’s secret nuclear weapons program in 2007.

Then the subprime mortgage crisis exploded in late 2008, spreading havoc through financial markets across the world. It was followed quickly by a sudden and substantial slowing of economic growth in OECD countries, rising levels of unemployment and most recently a crisis of excessive government debt.

In spite of the enormous attention being given to each of these issues by specialists nationally and internationally, progress on all fronts appears to be nearly at a standstill or at least far too slow to meet pressing human concerns. The times we live in are a Wild West of globalization and the unbridled, unregulated expansion of international activities threatens to destabilize and undermine the remarkable progress of the previous five decades.

This project is predicated on the assumption that each of these problems defies solution because they all represent problems that transcend the sovereign powers of the nation-state. None of them can be fully and satisfactorily addressed by nation-states acting individually. All are symptoms of the evolution of world society to a stage where concerted and coordinated global action is required to meet the collective needs of humanity for peace, security, financial stability, economic welfare and sustainable development. This project has been conceived to address the underlying and interrelated issues that all these challenges pose to global governance.

World University Consortium

The mission of World University Consortium is to evolve and promote development of accessible, affordable, quality higher education worldwide based on a human-centered approach that shifts the emphasis from specialized expertise to contextualized knowledge within a trans-disciplinary conceptual framework reflecting the complexity and integration of the real world, from teaching mastery of a field of knowledge to learning that enhances the capacity of students to think and discover knowledge for themselves, from theoretical mastery to acquisition of knowledge, skills and values relevant to each individual’s personal development and career – an educational system better suited to develop the full potentials of social personality and individuality for productive engagement, social welfare and psychological well-being. The objectives are:

Identify global best practices and develop effective global models and strategies to improve accessibility, affordability, quality, innovation and relevance in higher education appropriate to the needs of the 21st century.

Develop innovative, open learning systems and more effective models that extend the reach of quality higher education to people of all age groups globally.

Explore new models of online and hybrid delivery systems designed to facilitate learning through teacher-student and student-student interaction.

Enhance the learning process through research, development and application of advanced instruments for measurement and evaluation of educational processes.

NEW ECONOMIC THEORY

A multidisciplinary group from the World Academy of Art & Science and the Club of Rome are leading a quest for a new human-centered theory of economics that reflects recent changes resulting from the emergence of a service-based economy, globalization, rising social aspirations and changing values, and is integrated with political, social, ecological, technological, and cultural factors from which it is inseparable.

TRANS-DISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE ON MIND, THINKING AND CREATIVITY

Mind is humanity’s highest developed instrument for seeking knowledge. It is an instrument with remarkable capabilities and characteristic limitations. It is ironic that we invest so little time in education and scientific endeavor trying to understand the nature of mental knowledge and the character of the mental processes by which we arrive at it.

The objective of this project is to arrive at an understanding of the inherent limits to rationality and mental ways of knowing, as well as the extraordinary creative and intuitive processes by which mind transcends those limitations and tends toward genius.

PROGRAM ON GLOBAL EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGE

Access to employment is the most essential requirement for providing economic security to the world’s burgeoning population.

This interdisciplinary dialogue explores theoretical and practical aspects of the global employment challenge, including its demographic, economic, legal, political, psychological dimensions as well as linkages with the international financial crisis, social stability, and terrorism.

EVOLUTION OF INDIVIDUALITY

Individuality is the crown of human evolution and the catalyst for social progress, yet there are very different conceptions of what constitutes true individuality, the relationship between the individual and society, and whether humanity is inevitably evolving toward higher levels of individuality.

This project will explore the essential nature of individuality, the social and cultural factors that foster it, its role in social development, its myriad expressions in the original thinker, creative artist, political leader, entrepreneur, inventor and social innovator, and the means available to society to foster it.

GLOBAL RULE OF LAW

The evolution of international law and human rights represent crucial threads in the progressive development of global rule of law.

This project will explore the relationship between the social, political and legal dimensions of global rule of law in an effort to frame the boundaries of a wider approach to the evolution of global governance. Emphasis will be place to re-examining the concept of national sovereignty and the common rights of humanity in an increasingly globalized world.

NEW SCIENCES

In 2013 WAAS launched a project to explore important developments in recently emerging fields of science, with e-conferences on the Science of Networks and the Science of Complexity. The project involves an application of concepts and tools from the new sciences relevant to address the global challenges confronting humanity today and to the evolution of a transdisciplinary science of society.

PROGRAM ON ABOLITION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The devastating consequences of nuclear war and the potential destructive applications of science and technology were paramount concerns among Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Robert Oppenheimer, Joseph Rotblat and others which led to the founding of the World Academy in 1960.

Nuclear disarmament is a sine qua non for effectively addressing other issues of global important – terrorism, financial stability, unemployment, poverty, climate change, democratization of the UN and other aspects of global governance. In recent years, the Academy has conducted numerous conferences, seminars and workshops and collaborating with other organizations in an effort to promote concrete steps toward immediate and total global nuclear disarmament.

The Security & Sustainability Guide

A 250-page “Interim Draft” PDF of The S&S Guide, a project of the World Academy of Art & Science, will be available for limited distribution free of charge. It reflects the critical fact that sustainability and security are both essential and can only be achieved in concert. The Guide is incomplete, but the compilers believe that, even in its current state, many will find it useful for illuminating many of the most serious problems facing humanity under the broad, overlapping categories of “Security” (weapons proliferation, terrorism, cyber-attacks, economic and food insecurity, human rights, peacemaking, crime and corruption, inadequate infrastructure, etc.) and “Sustainability” (climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, energy, agriculture, population growth, cities, oceans, forests, vulnerability to disasters, green economics and nance, etc.)